Denver Post sports writer Christopher Dempsey posts his Nuggets Mailbag every other Thursday during the regular season.
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Why threaten these kids by telling them we are dissolving? The last two games were well played. We just need a couple of changes, not an overhaul. These are good guys. There aren’t any super players available, anyhow.
— Charles Murray, Reno, Nev.
Charles – This is the view less traveled, but it’s valid. In the end, the wins and losses are going to decide the fate of this roster, but clearly they’ve shown to be capable of putting some good basketball on the court. Unfortunately, they’ve put a bunch of inconsistent basketball on the court as well, so they entered Wednesday at 15-20.
The volume of phone calls coming into the Nuggets about so many of their players suggests there is a lot of talent on the roster.
to accommodate the late-night partying of young players? I can’t believe coach Brian Shaw would even consider it.
— Geoff, Denver
Geoff – All I can say is that since Brian Shaw discussed it with the media, the Nuggets entered Wednesday at 2-0. Now, they also did it in Chicago on New Year’s Day, a game they started well but lost, so we can say they entered Wednesday 2-1 without the shootarounds. Small sample size, but the returns haven’t been bad.
Please tell me again what a great deal it was to acquire Aaron Afflalo and . They are playing basically equal minutes. Afflalo is averaging 14.8 points and Fournier 14.7. Fournier has 2.4 assists to 1.6 for Afflalo. Both are shooting 44 percent from the floor, but Fournier is .402 on 3-pointers while Afflalo is .352. Given Fournier’s youth, the trade looks like a whiff to me.
— Bob Osborne, Westminster
Bob – Just by going with those numbers, the trade couldn’t be a whiff more than it is a wash. But those figures are off. Afflalo is shooting better from the field overall and Fournier’s lead in 3-point percentage is 37 percent to 35 percent. And Afflalo is averaging more points.
Afflalo is, essentially, doing what he’s done in the last few years of his career, and he’s doing it with fewer opportunities with the Nuggets than he had in Orlando. And defensively, Afflalo is a clear upgrade at the shooting guard spot. So that combined with the professionalism and leadership in the locker room pushes the needle in the Nuggets’ favor in that trade.
There is no doubt that Evan Fournier is playing great basketball. He’s having the best year of his career, in fact. He’s a talented player that continues to grow in this league. Neither player is playing below average basketball. So, both teams, ultimately, benefitted.
Chris – If the Nuggets keep going on this downward spiral, what are the chances of Shaw being let go either by midseason or next year? Personally I think it was a big mistake letting George Karl go.
— Garrett Gregory, Grand Junction
Garrett – This will not happen.
Aside from Nate Robinson and perhaps Tim “Hands of Stone” Mozgov, the roster seems talented and entertaining enough. How long will Shaw be allowed to put his footprint on this team? I only ask because his feet sure seem to stink.
— Vincent Pawlowski, Tampa, Fla.
Vincent – I’d argue a couple of things. First, due to injuries snatching players in-and-out of the lineup for his first season-and-a-half, we haven’t seen Shaw be able to truly put his footprint on the team. And we’ve seen him adjust to the personnel he inherited as coach. But more than that, the Nuggets’ problems aren’t with style, they’re with consistency. They are a much better team in the halfcourt than they’ve ever been. They’re opportunistic on the fast break. But defensively, particularly early on, the effort hasn’t always been there.
Lately, adhering to what the coaches are teaching for the full 48 minutes has cropped up as a bigger issue defensively. We’ll eventually see what Shaw’s footprint will be, but consistency in focus and energy are the main issues that need ironing out.
The last time George Karl was here, he used a lineup where Wilson Chandler is the small forward and Danilo Gallinari is the power forward, which has been said to be one of Denver’s best lineups (especially on offense) during his time, if not the best. Shouldn’t Shaw be looking to consider such a lineup? Maybe that will give Gallinari some groove.
— Nigel, Quezon City, Philippines
Hi, Nigel. Actually, we’ve seen the Wilson Chandler/Danilo Gallinari duo on the court numerous times this season. The biggest problem is Gallo had been struggling to return to form, and then when he looked to be turning a corner, he suffered a torn meniscus. So it’s been hard for Brian Shaw to even get him on the court consistently — period.
Also understand, Gallo isn’t a power forward. He’s out of position in those lineups, but George Karl used to pop him in there for mismatch purposes on offense and in situations where fouls or injuries dictated the Nuggets might play a little small ball. Gallinari’s most natural position is at small forward, and he’ll play more there than anywhere else.
But Shaw has used that Chandler/Gallo combo on the court before and I’d expect he’d do it again when Gallinari is back in uniform. Shaw’s twist on that, however, is sometimes when those two are on the court, Chandler is the shooting guard and Gallo is the small forward. That allows him to have Kenneth Faried or J.J. Hickson or Darrell Arthur on the court as well at the four. So there’s a couple of ways to get it done.
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